Conduit tender



E. A. KLIMEK CONDUIT TENDER May 3, 1960 2,935,o so

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 28, 1956 May 3, 1960 Filed Aug. 28, 1956 E. A. KVLIMEK CONDUIT TENDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

4 TTORNEY CONDUIT TENDER Edward A. Klimek, Avondale Estates, Ga., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application August 28, 1956, Serial No. l606,664

2 Claims. (Cl. 137-344) This invention relates to a conduit tending mechanism and more particularly mechanism by which a flexible conduit is tended along a line of movement while its extra length is retained in storage position.

Many industrial production line Operations require the use of electrical tools, spray guns, applicator nozzles, or

brushes suspended from hoses carrying electricity or paints, solvents, sealers, glues, and other fluid or semifluid materials under pressure. If the production line conveyor moves at a constant rate of speed, the tool, spray gun, applicator or brush must travel along with the workpiece as the operation is performed. In many cases the conduits leading to the point of application must be dragged back and forth along the floor. The device in which this inventon is embodied keeps the conduits olf the floor. This results in more eflicient operation and a material saving in wear and tear on the conduits and attachments.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1l shows an elevation of a conduit tender embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a Sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Fig. 4 is a Sectional view taken along a line 4-4 of Figure 1.

A suspended track 10, which may be in the form of an I-beam, is attached to and supported by suitable structure forming a part of the building in which the tender is located. A trolley or carrier 12 is suspended from track by a plurality of load supporting wheels 14, 16 and 18. Track 10 may have horizontally extending flanges 20 and 22 on its upper side and additional horizontally extending flanges 24 and 26 on its lower side which combine withV web 28 to form the I-beam cross section. Trolley carrier 12 is supported by wheels 16 and 18 which ride on the upper surfaces of flanges 24 and 26. Wheels 14 have their axis 30 vertically dsplaced relative to axes 32 and 34 of wheels 16 and 18 so that wheels 14 are maintained in engagement with the under surfaces of 'flanges 20 and 22. VThis trolley arrangement allows free roll along the length of the track 10 with minimum vertical and transverse components of motion.

Supported by trolley carrier 12 is a transverse pipe 36 which has a T 38 intermediate the sides 40 and 42 of carrier 12. A flexible, controlled conductor or conduit 44 is coupled at 46 to one end of the T 38 and a delivery pipe 48 is connected through elbow 50 to one end of the transverse pipe 36. The other end 52 of pipe 36 may be plugged or, if additional conduits are desired to be mounted on the same carrier pipe 36, it may be connected to other such conduits. Conduit 44 may be electrical in nature, in which case appropriate electrical cone nections would be used.

A second trolley 54 is suspended below track 10 by a means of wheels S6 which also roll on the upper surfaces of flanges 24 and 26. A pulley 58.is supported on States Patent O an axle 60 which is secured -to sides 62 and 64.of trolley 54. A flexible cable 66 is enga'ged by pulley 58 and has one end attached to trolley 12 at 68. The other end of cable 66 is attached to a turnbuckle 70 which is secured to bar 72. Turnbuckle 70 is provided to compensate for stretch in cable 66. An electrical or Ifluid conduit may be substituted for cable 66 if desired by making appropriate modifications in the attachments; Bar 72 is supported by a vertically disposed arm 74. The upper end 76 of arm 74 is attached to the upper surfaces and 22 of track 10. Arm 74 is so formed that it is out of the area of travel of all trolleys suspended from track 10.

Arm 74 is located substantially in the center of the activeV section of track 10.

A third trolley 78 is suspended from track 10 opposite trolley 12 from trolley 54. A pair of wheels 80 roll on the upper surfaces of flanges 24 and 26 of track 10 to provide a rolling support for trolley 78.4 A stop 82 is attached to the underside of flanges 24 and 26 of track 10 intermediate trolleys 12 and 78 and at substantially the center of the active length of track 10. -Trollcy 12 is pro-V vided with a cross bar 120 so located as to engage stop 82 when trolley 12 has moved to the center of track 10. Trolley 78 is provided with cross bar 122 which is adapted to engage stop` 82 when trolley 78 has moved to the center of track 10. `A second/arm 84 is suspended. from the end of track 10 adjacent trolley 78 and provides a stop defining one end of the active section of track' 10.

Arms 74 and'84 also provide support Vfor conduit rack 86 which is suspended below track 10 and parallel there-` to. Rack 86 may be of I-beam, C-channel or other similar structural formation' shows rack 86 having a C-channel cross section with the open side up. Rack 86 extends fromV arm 84 to and slightly beyond arm 74 and is attached tol the lowerends of the arms. Secured to the underside of rack 86 at a point substantially within the plane of track 10 is a channel 88 having the open side disposed in a downward direction. `Channel 88 extends past the end of hose rack 86 a sutiicient distance to accommodae clamp 90 and pipe 92.- Pipe 92 is removably mounted in clamp 90 and is located slightly above channel 88. Elbow 94, secured to the end of pipe 92 opposite hose rack 86, is connectedV to a fluid source, not shown. Coupling 96 connects pipe 92 with the other end of conduit 44.

Trolley 78 supports a pulley 98 about axis 100 and controlled conduit 44 is disposed about pulley 98. Trolleys 54 and 78 are attached to each other by bar 102. Bar 102 is provided with sides 104 and 106 to form a clevis or fork to which trolley 58 is secured. The other end of bar 102 is similarly provided with sides 108 and 110 to form a second clevis or fork to which trolley 78 is secured. Thus, bar 102 maintains trolleys 54 and 78 in the same spaced relationship at all times and they form a unitary carrier for pulleys or sheaves 58-and 98.

Pairs of supports 112 extend upwardly from bar 102 at spaced intervals and provide mounts for concave rollers 114. Rollers 114 provide support for the length of conduit 44 extending between trolley 12 and pulley 98. Pulley 98 is of such diameter that the tangential line along which the upper portion of hose 44 extends is located slightly below and parallel to track 10. Rollers 114 support conduit 44 along this tangential line. The lower portion of conduit 44 extending from pulley 98 to coupling 96 also lies along a tangential line originating from pulley 98 and parallel to track 10. The interiorof rack 86 receives and supports the lower portion of flexible conduit 44 along this tangential line.

Attached to the open end of delivery pipe 48 is flexible conduit 116 which has an appropriate tool, e.g. spray gun 118, attached to its free end.

The operation of a fluid conduit tender embodying the atentecl May p ,3, 1960` The embodiment dis'closed' invention is as follows: Air or other fiuid Which may have .materials to be 'applied to a Workpiece in Suspension is piped from a pressure tank or pump to pipe 92 which is supported in adjustable clamp Qth The position of pipe 92 within clamp 90 is adjustable to compensate 'foi' stretch in the` flexible controlled conduit 44.* Conduit 44 o aosaoso passes around Wheel or pulley 98 and over a series of` concave rollers 114 mounted on bar 162. The end of the conduit is connected into delivery pipe 48 through connections such as T 38, pipe 36 and elbow 50. Delivery pipe 43 in turn connects into the ilexible conduit; 116 and gun 118. As the delivery pipe 48 is moved to- Ward one end of the track 10, the fiexible cable 66 pulls the trolley mounted conduit support 162. along at half the speed ofthe delivery pipe 48. The controlled conduit 44 travels over the rollers 114 and Wheel hand is deposited on rack channel 86. The cable and conduit 44 keep each other taut at all times. g

Aconduit tender embodying the disclosed -invention can be `adapted for carrying any number of conduits by v widening therack 86, pulley 98, support 102 andftrolley 12, and providing conduits. and delivery pipes .to suit.

Each conduit maytthen be supplied from a diiferent source, giving the operator an immediately available choice of materials to be applied to the workpiece.

` What is claimed is: l. A- -flexible conduit tender including a supporting traclcpfirst, secondV and third carriers suspended therefrom, said first and second Carriers being secured together to'j'move in unison and having. individual pulleys rotatably mounted thereon, said third carrier having a conduit with at least one inlet and one outlet, a rack suspended from said track, an inlet conductor adjustably supported by said rack, a flexible conduit coupled with said inlet conductor and in partial engagement with saidfirst carrier pulley and attached to the inlet of said third' carrier conduit, -and a flexible member operatively attached. to

said third carrier and said supporting track and engaged with said second carrier pulley.

2. Conduit support and tending mechanism comprising a track and a carrier supported by and linearly movable along said track, apulley rotatably mounted at each end of said carrier, a stationary member supported by said track and including a Vconduit inlet connection, a flexible conduit secured at one end to said stationary member by said conduit inlet connection and disposed about one of said pulleys, the portion of said conduit intermediate said conduit inlet connection and'said one puliey being linearly stationary, a flexible cable vsecured to said stationary member and disposed about the other of said pulleys, a controlling element supported by said track intermediate said pulleys and linearly -movable along said track, said conduit and said cable being secured to said controlling element by a conduit outlet connection and fastener means, the portion ofsaid conduit intermediate said outlet connection means and said one pulley being linearly movable with said controlling elementpsupport means supporting at least the linearly movable portion of said.

conduit at a plurality of linearly spaced. positions and comprising rollers mounted on said carrier, adjust'able means secured to said cable and said stationary member for keeping said conduit and said line taut, and la conduit delivery unit depending from'said controlling element and operatively connected with said conduit through said conduit outletconnection means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v 467,746 Brown Ian. 26, 1892 728,495 Otto May 19, 1903 i,395,6l6 Stroberger Nov. l, 1921 2,201,954 Flygare May 21, 1940 2,554,984 Hegel May 29, 1951 2,750,22S Engel June 12, 1956 2,756,759 Swain July 31, 1956 

